In nursing, effective communication is an important skill for every individual. This principle also applies when making presentations in school. The ability to convey your message can significantly impact the goals of the presentation and ensure you get a good grade on the presentation assignment. Whether you are presenting content before a class, committee, or professor, the following guide will greatly help. From considering the types of presentations to selecting a good topic, our nursing writers will provide every tip to help you make a great nursing presentation.
Follow these steps to make an effective nursing presentation.
If you are new to presentations, understand that every presentation has a formula. To understand this, first know that you will encounter different presentations in nursing school and the profession. The different presentations include:
Capstone or Dissertation Proposal- this is given at the end of a degree program in this type of presentation, serving as a preview of the final project. When making this presentation, you must include your research project's topic, research question, methodology, and expected outcomes.
Class Term or Research Paper- A class term is a type of research paper given at the end of the term to serve as a comprehensive summary of the knowledge you have acquired to show your understanding of the course content. It requires a review of multiple sources to come up with the research. It tends to be more general. A research paper, on the other hand, is more specific. It requires you to conduct an in-depth analysis on a specific topic.
While they differ in terms of writing, when it comes to presentation, they both have the following features that you must include in your presentation: introduction, literature review, research methodology, findings, and conclusion.
Group Work- refers to collaborative learning where you work with other students through academic problems and assessments. In your presentation, include an overview of the project, individual contributions, and outcomes.
Infographics- refers to a visual representation of information. They use visual aids such as graphs, maps, images, and charts to engage with the audience and communicate complex ideas. Some elements must be included in any infographic presentation, including colors (at least three), appropriate fonts, story, copy, etc.
Dissertation Defense- this type of presentation is given by students who have completed their doctoral studies before being awarded a doctoral degree. When presenting, you must include the following:
Poster Presentation refers to the presentation of academic research as a poster. It usually consists of a brief text alongside tables, graphs, pictures, and another presentation format.
Please note that these presentations have different purposes, goals, and formats. So, it is important to understand each of the individual themes.
Who is the target of the nursing presentation? Knowing who your audience is will help you tailor your presentation for them. For instance, if you present to your fellow students, you don't have to define complex terms or jargon as they already understand them.
Conduct an audience analysis to understand their interest, level of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. You will discover information about your audience, which you can use to build a common ground. For instance, if you present to a committee involving professionals from fields other than nursing, your speech should be basic. Many things you think are common knowledge could sound completely foreign.
An audience-centered approach is essential in ensuring your nursing presentation is delivered appropriately.
The topic of your presentation will greatly determine whether your audience will pay attention or lose focus during the presentation. Having the right nursing topic for your presentation will help disseminate information and showcase your expertise.
If your instructor hasn’t given any topic, begin by assessing your passions, expertise, and knowledge in nursing, and consider the topics that interest you most. Your passion and enthusiasm will be reflected in your presentation. This will make your audience more interested in what you are saying and show your commitment to learning in your profession.
Researched the current trends and developments in nursing to select a timelier topic. This will make your speech more interesting and show your commitment to nursing education and the profession.
Choose a topic that aligns more with the course objectives. You must understand your course objectives and then select a topic that aligns with them.
Before presentations, develop at least four goals and objectives of the presentation. In most cases, this could be to inform, persuade, inspire, or motivate the audience. Once you determine this, develop answers for the following questions:
Answering these questions will help you understand the intention of the presentation. Whatever your goals are, you must identify them as that will guide the presentation. Ensure you also state the goals in the introduction of the presentation to ensure the audience knows what to expect and guide them as they listen to the content.
Research shows that 80% of presentations fail because of a lack of organization. One of the best ways to organize the content of your presentation is to ensure you present it. An outline gives a clear path for which to follow as you present your ideas from the beginning to the end. An outline for a presentation can also save you time by helping with the brainstorming process.
A presentation should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. An introduction introduces the presentation and informs readers why they should care about it. In other words, a curtain raiser grabs your audience’s attention. It is also where you provide the thesis- the main purpose of the presentation.
Body- where you organize the main points, beginning with the major ones and breaking them down into subthemes. Note how much time each of these sections will have to know how to present them effectively.
Illustrate and support your ideas and present them effectively. Use the following strategies to ensure this is effective;
Ensure you provide variety in the body to ensure readers don’t get bored and lose focus on the content of your presentation.
Conclusion- At this stage, enhance the content of your presentation by restating the main ideas. Remember that your audience won't remember everything in the presentation, so you want to ensure they remember the major ideas.
Please note that even though it could seem counterproductive to create an outline, it is necessary to ensure that you get clarity for the chosen topic.
Now that you have everything you wish to include in the presentation, it is time to get down to it. Think of something you can use besides your voice to complement the presentation. Microsoft PowerPoint tools will verbally, visually, and aurally enhance your audience's attention because they hold your audience's focus, engaging them throughout the presentation.
Creating PowerPoint presentations might seem easy, but it is a skill that many people get wrong. From choosing the wrong color choices to confusing slides, a bad PowerPoint presentation can tank your presentation and distract you from the amazing content you share. So, how do you create a PowerPoint presentation? A good PowerPoint presentation comprises multiple slides; here is how to start.
Add a slide
Add and Format the Text
Add images, shapes, or more.
Adding images or shapes to your Slide will enhance the content and make it more engaging. These are called visual aids and are crucial in enhancing your nursing presentations.
Add Illustrations
After saving, do a trial run for the presentation to ensure that you have properly set up the slides and that everything is as expected. To do this, go to the slide show tab and click play from the start. The presentation will start playing, and you can view it how your audience will.
When you want to advance the Slide by moving from one to the next, click the mouse in the presentation mode.
Besides PowePoint, there are other platforms and software that you can use to make your presentation better. Some of these tools include:
SlideShare is the world's largest content-sharing platform that allows you to upload files created in other programs to create dynamic presentations to share with others. It is a great tool that allows you to be more creative with your slides and share information. Here is how to use SlideShare if you have files saved on the local files.
Prezi is a presentation software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships to create a dynamic and engaging presentation. It is similar to other presentation software types but includes additional features, making it a great alternative. For instance, Prezi allows you to zoom in and out of the presentation canvas, thus creating a powerful visual transition.
If you have existing slides, choose the convert PowerPoint option and convert the files.
Prezi is a great tool to help you create visually stunning and interactive nursing presentations.
Canva is a great alternative to PowerPoint that offers thousands of presentation templates. It allows a more sophisticated design to enhance your content.
Use these tips to ensure you give an effective nursing presentation.
Don’t just read your nursing slides; elaborate on them by providing personal stories and examples. Most students assume that just because slides are effective ways of communicating information, they fail to understand that they need more to it. You will lose the attention of your readers. So, instead of reading what's in the slides verbatim, elaborate more. If time is running out, consider skipping to the main ideas of the presentation.
Please note that not every presentation requires a story. But if yours does, ensure it is appropriate to the presentation's topics and goals.
To enhance your presentation, use visual aids
Every successful presenter includes their audience in the presentation. Most audiences like to get involved in the discussion and contribute their opinions. So, find opportunities to include your audience in the discussion by interactively asking questions. For instance, you could ask, have you experienced these with patients in your clinicals? Doing this can be one of the best ways to encourage learning and ensure effective presentation.
Practice makes perfect. In addition to planning for the nursing presentation, you must prepare adequately. Like any other task you will encounter in school, committing the presentation to memory before the actual presentation is important. You can do this before a mirror or your close friend and ask for their feedback. Use cards to guide you or read from a script. Review each Slide at least two times, ensuring you master every idea in the presentation. This will ensure you get comfortable with the presentation by yourself before presenting it to the target audience.
Non-verbal communication is essential for the success of any kind of presentation. Avoid excessive movements, as this will show that you are nervous. However, you should also avoid standing still like a statue.
When creating a nursing presentation, there are certain rules that you must follow to ensure your work is great and that you keep readers engaged throughout. Follow these rules to create a memorable piece.
Each Slide should only focus on one idea. So, it’s important to break your ideas into individual ideas, especially if you have a complex topic. Break down these ideas into smaller units and build them up until you finish the entire topic.
Take only one minute to discuss each idea in the Slide. Following this rule will help you when you plan the discussion. In other words, if your presentation will take 20 minutes, you must have only 20 slides. Spending more than a minute on each Slide means you have too much information, and you must break it up.
The 10, 20, 30 rule of PowerPoint is an effective rule that is summed up in the following points. Use ten slides for your presentation. The presentation should not last longer than 20 minutes. The font of the text in each Slide should not be lower than 30 fonts.
Since each Slide only talks about one idea, consider adding a heading to the Slide. The heading will act as a signpost and inform readers what to expect in that Slide. To ensure your heading is effective, consider the heading as the introduction or conclusion to your Slide and the content of the Slide as the rest of the body. So
Creating a great nursing presentation might seem challenging, but it is possible. It requires great planning, good visual aids, and clear communication. We hope you can create an effective nursing presentation by following the steps and tips in the above guide.
If you need help, feel free to reach out to us. We have online nursing writers who are experienced in creating interactive nursing presentations for students who don’t have time, want to pay someone to do it for them and save time, or lack the motivation to do it themselves. Get a PowerPoint done to suit your assignment details today.
NurseMyGrades is being relied upon by thousands of students worldwide to ace their nursing studies. We offer high quality sample papers that help students in their revision as well as helping them remain abreast of what is expected of them.
Get Help
